ATLANTA — UTSA senior wide receiver De'Corian Clark has been named to the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List, The Wuerffel Foundation announced on Thursday.
Clark is one of 110 FBS players, including one of 13 from the American Athletic Conference, picked for the list of nominees for college football's premier award for community service, and one of the most meaningful awards in collegiate sports.
A product of Fort Worth O.D. Wyatt High School, Clark has been actively involved in several projects off the field during his time at UTSA. A founding member and the Public Relations Chair of Black Athletes Striving for Excellence (BASE), he was chosen to represent the university at the Black Student-Athlete Summit in 2022 and again this year. Also a nominee for the Allstate American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team, he has served as host of events, game nights and panels hosted by BASE and as a speaker at "Life as a Student-Athlete" and "Untangling the Truth: A Discussion on Black Hair" panels, as well as with various sports youth leagues and camps. He has volunteered his time with UTSA Move-In Day, ComicCon, Cooks Children's Hospital and Be a Champion Inc., which provides healthy meals and education services to children.
A second-team all-conference performer last season, Clark hauled in 51 passes for 741 yards and eight touchdowns despite missing the last five games due to an injury. He averaged 82.3 receiving yards per game and 14.5 yards per catch to help the Roadrunners emerge as one of the most productive offenses in the nation. He set the program record for single-game receiving yards with 217 and matched his own single-game TD standard with three in the 52-24 win over Texas Southern last September. He will enter the 2023 campaign with 112 receptions for 1,559 yards and 16 touchdowns for his career.
The Wuerffel Trophy is named after Danny Wuerffel, the 1996 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback from the University of Florida who parlayed his success on the football field into a lifetime of service. The Wuerffel Trophy embodies Danny's commitment to being a humanitarian, while honoring student-athletes who are inspired to serve others and make positive impacts on society.
"The life changing impact of thinking of others before ourselves is so rewarding, and it's truly inspiring to see so many student-athletes recognize this, and use their platform for good," said Danny Wuerffel. "College Football players across the country are making a difference in their communities, and I'm excited to see so many incredible stories associated with the 2023 Wuerffel Trophy candidates."
Nominations for the Wuerffel Trophy are made by the respective universities' sports information departments and will close on Oct. 16. An up-to-date list of nominees can be found at wuerffeltrophy.org. Semifinalists for the award will be announced on Nov. 2 and finalists will be announced on Nov. 28. The formal announcement of the 2023 recipient is scheduled to be made in December during The Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN, and the presentation of the 2023 Wuerffel Trophy will take place on Feb. 17, 2024, at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
Under the direction of two-time conference coach of the year Jeff Traylor, the Roadrunners are coming off an 11-3 campaign that saw them capture their second straight Conference USA crown and play in a bowl game for the third year in a row. UTSA has been ranked in the top 25 in each of the last two seasons and boasts a combined 23 wins over that span, the fourth-best total among all FBS teams behind only Georgia (29), Michigan (25) and Alabama (24).
The Roadrunners have been picked to finish second in the AAC Preseason Media Poll and will kick off their 13th season of play on Saturday, Sept. 2, when they travel to Houston to face the Cougars at 6 p.m. at TDECU Stadium.
UTSA will face Texas State for the home opener at 2:30 p.m. the following Saturday at the Alamodome. The Roadrunners will host Army at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 15, UAB on Oct. 14, East Carolina on Oct. 28, Rice on Nov. 11 and South Florida at 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 17.
Season and single-game tickets are on sale now by calling 210-458-UTSA (8872) or visiting goUTSA.com/tickets.
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